Enter the Spy World of Covert Affairs Tonight

Last week the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted a special screening of the season 2 premiere of the USA Network series Covert Affairs as well as a Q&A with the cast and creative crew behind the popular spy drama. The screening was part of the campaign for Emmy recognition, but it also gave journalists and fans a chance to preview the series’ return and gain insight into the process of filming the show.

In attendance at this screening were Covert Affairs Executive Producers Doug Liman and David Bartis and series creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord as well as cast members Piper Perabo, who plays lead character Annie Walker, and Christopher Gorham, who plays Auggie Anderson.

Mr. Liman briefly took the stage to welcome everyone to the special screening and after a few remarks the theatre went dark and the audience was thrilled by the season premiere of Covert Affairs, which will have its official airing tonight on the USA Network at 10/9c.

Once the lights were turned back on, William Keck from TV Guide, took the stage to introduce all of the panelists and get down to the business of finding out how this show was created. Mr. Ord explained that when he and Matt Corman started writing the Covert Affairs pilot, they knew they would have to do research in Washington, DC., but despite sending several emails requesting help, which went unanswered, they eventually got in touch with “someone we had worked with on a prior project” who turned out to be the grandfather of someone in PR at the CIA. He was instrumental in aiding them to get a tour of the government office.

Once there, they discovered, according to Mr. Ord, that the CIA “has a Starburcks and a S’barro’s and that’s when it hits you that these are just people doing their job. It’s not like this heightened, crazy secret spy world – although they do have that – but it’s about the people first and that’s what augmented the show.” Mr. Corman then chimed in that “the workers there are much younger than you (would) expect.” But, he reaffirmed that the first-hand knowledge they received from the people for whom they talked with at the CIAs “was invaluable to us” because “research is key” for them in their writing.

Mr. Liman further added that he had worked with former CIA Operations Officer Valerie Plame in making the theatrical film Fair Game and they were able to have her as a consultant on the show for the first season, obtaining valuable information from her about the personal side of what it is like to work for the CIA and keeping your entire life secret for those you love and hold dear.

Ms. Perabo then explained that she also had the chance to tour the CIA, getting an opportunity to speak with female operatives and learning about their lives. She stated, “the incredible thing about creating the role is obviously there are many things they can’t share with you about their job, the security clearances, what they are doing in their job, but (those weren’t) the things I needed to hear (about). It was more “Who’s your boyfriend?”, “What does he think you do?”, “Where does he think you go?, “What kind of car do you drive?”, “What kind of suit do you wear to meet the President?” and all (the) kinds of (details that go) into the personal life of (someone whose) whole life is a secret.”

In asking how the CIA reacted to the show, Mr. Ord said that, “I think they were just glad that we weren’t driving them into the mud (because) they have had a few rough years, (they have had) some PR issues,” but he and Mr. Corman told them, “there is no political agenda; (we) just want to depict what these people are (really) like.”

When asked what drew her to play Annie Walker, Ms. Perabo said that part of the deciding factor for her wasn’t just all the languages she can speak, but (jokingly said) jumping out of the plane in the Covert Affairs pilot. She further explained that what “I really liked about her is how she makes her decisions based on her instincts. I really admire people like that. They have a sense of what is the right thing to do and (they) act on it. They trust themselves and jumping out of the plane was a great metaphor for that.”

The discussion was then turned to Mr. Gorham’s convincing portrayal of his character Auggie Anderson with him explaining that when “I started shooting the pilot, I did some research and found a wonderful organization called the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Someone from there was kind enough to come out to the production office. We started off with the basics: how to get around with a cane, without a cane, how to get around with another person and how to work with Piper.” He further explained that he would talk to “people who had lost their sight as adults, who have been blind since birth, learning the differences between the two. Then (I learned more) by going out to dinner with them, talking (to them) about their lives, seeing how sighted people react to a blind person in a restaurant or in the workplace. It’s been great mining all these details, bringing (all of) that to the show.” He also said that the feedback from the blind community has been very positive. Mr. Corman added that when he and Mr. Ord envisioned the character of Auggie, “we hoped that the blindness would just be one component of the character; that it wouldn’t define the role with the viewers. (And) Chris has brought so many different layers to it.”

In talking about transforming Canada into the cities that have been featured in the previous episodes, the creative team all agreed that they have a “great second unit that goes all over the world (to get the) stock shots (they need) because it is cheaper than stock footage.” They also mentioned this season they will be in Paris, Istanbul, Iraq and Belarus (to name a few) and they will feature flashbacks of Auggie’s life before he lost his sight.

While the writers would not confirm that they have plans for Auggie and Annie in terms of a romantic relationship, they did say, “we’ve kind of played with it, but we have to be careful about it. It’s a long, long arc.” In addition, they will feature the Smithsonian (which is Annie’s cover) more and some of the guest stars in season two will include Peter Stormare (Prison Break), Rebecca Mader (Lost) and Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives). Oded Fehr will also be back for more action.

The night ended with an audience Q&A and the cast and creative team visiting with audience members at a casual reception.

If you are a fan of the show, or love spy dramas, make sure to catch the season premiere of Covert Affairs tonight at 10/9c on USA Network.